Cardiac Support Programs for Women
© Sheryl Martin/ Her Heart Sounds 2022
Cardiac Support Programs for Women
© Sheryl Martin/ Her Heart Sounds 2022
Her Heart Sound's mission is to improve women's cardiac health outcomes after experiencing myocardial infarction, reduce readmissions, and to improve quality of life.
Welcome to Her Heart Sounds, a nonprofit organization committed to making a positive impact in women's cardiac care. Through our various programs and initiatives, we strive to create more equitable cardiac care for women. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about how you can join us in making a difference. Please consider volunteering or donating to assist with implementing this important campaign,
Her Heart Sounds created cardiac support programs for women to provide ongoing emotional support through recovery. For example, many women in the SCAD Stress Management Program report that the emotional ramifications have a greater impact than physical recovery. Other research studies confirm the need for women experiencing significant cardiac events to be provided psychological support. Additionally, we provide SCAD education dissemination and are actively addressing gender disparity in cardiac treatment.
The SCAD specific Stress Management eight-week program is offered on Mondays at 12 pm MDT and Wednesdays at 6 pm (MDT) by Dr. Angela Cassola, PhD in Health Psychology, and Founder and SCAD Survivor, Sheryl Martin. Learn ways to reduce stress and share with other SCAD Survivors from all over the world in a zoom meeting platform. The program will cover the various ramifications of stress with breakout room discussions. To date program data is revealing high efficacy and satisfaction from participants. This program is open to male SCAD Survivors as well. $10 program fee - please pay via this link: Program Fee
Please contact us if you need cardiac condition information, assistance with medical advocacy including medical record review, psychological support and referrals. We schedule a zoom meeting or phone call to support you and create an action plan if needed. This service is free and available to women who have experienced cardiac events, and to men who have experienced SCAD.
Our PTSD program will provide immediate contact to women who have experienced a cardiac event, especially SCAD. This will entail providing a combination of Mental Health First Aid and Resiliency Training to reduce the incidence of PTSD and other emotional disorders like depression, anxiety, and anger.
The Virtual Discharge Lounge will provide important services to support a female cardiac survivor including family counseling, etc., back to work protocol and assistance, referral to the Stress Management Program, and orientation services for cardiac rehab. Additionally, patient liaison services will be offered to assist the patient with processing oftentimes misleading, contradictory and confusing cardiac information. The purpose is to support women in their recovery, with the subsequent expected outcome of better cardiac health to reduce recurrence and readmissions. Her Heart Sounds will be obtaining data to measure rates of recurrence and readmissions.
This is a developing program to provide SCAD Survivors with a peer buddy to assist with support and friendship. All peers will be trained and will sign confidentiality agreements.
Research indicates that women are referred to cardiac rehab less than men, are less likely to attend, and less likely to complete the program. Therefore, Her Heart Sounds is developing a woman's only cardiac rehabilitation component to be implemented within existing cardiac rehab programs and clinics with a cardiac rehab clinic orientation video and an emotional support component. Additionally, we will provide education dissemination for a SCAD specific protocol.
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